English
riffle
Riffle comes from Middle English ruffelen.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ruffelen
- Englishearliest quotation 1903riffle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ruffelen
- Englishearliest quotation 1903riffle
Earliest quotation: 1903, James Alexander Henshall, Bass: “They then proceeded below the milldam, where there was…”
Linked words
through Middle English ruffelen
Today it means
noun A swift, shallow part of a stream causing broken water.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English ruffelen / riffle